The Principle of Life

A few days ago, I wrote on how Pokémon might have a link to plant eaters (herbivores for creatures, vegetarians or vegans for people). Those of the former camp most likely will have been dictated by nature, but those of the latter camp might also be dictated by choice, and the latter becomes quite interesting. While it could mean that they have realized the value of eating plants, it also could mean that they have realized the value and/or existence of sentient creatures, whether imaginary as Pokémon or real as animals of the real world. I've taken to call this as the "principle of life", and I'd like to discuss it now.

The realization of the "principle of life" entails a few things. One of them is, at the very least, a respect for the creatures; it means that the creatures should have their living space and rights honored, especially before doing something that impacts them greatly. By respecting, it might also be possible to become acquainted with them, particularly to the point of becoming friends with them. Also part of that respect is not putting an end to their lives unless absolutely necessary, and even then in some way that maintains the honor that they have received. There are many other things that are entailed, but these three are sufficient to illustrate the values and/or existence of the creatures.

In the world of Pokémon, these things are seemingly rather evident. There is a lot of respect for the creatures that bear the name in all sorts of ways, by the people that exist in that world. Many can be or have become friends with people or even beyond that, being revered as very important figures or even deities, and as a result receiving much honor as well. And while the food chain axioms are pretty much viably true, none have ever been rather obviously evident except for some illustrative hints that they are in fact as such. That appears to become an additional form of respect to what has already been indicated.

It may be plausible, then, that some fans of Pokémon might be motivated to adopt the "principle of life" by the way that things have been presented. They may or may not become total vegetarians or vegans, but at the least the "principle" would manifest among them. This may be true as they let wild animals do their thing, making friends with the animals they own or are close to, and/or paying respects to animals before they need to be excised or by not doing so at all. I myself have pretty much adopted this to a good extent, though as I've said before, I'm not truly either one.

This "principle of life" sounds noble enough. There is a nobleness in respecting creatures as they exist and for what they bring to the table. This being indirectly evident for Pokémon allows people there to make a choice on what they do to live... and the same would be true for the real world. They would seem to be able to get more out of life by preserving life itself, at least for those conscious of their sentiments, and perhaps even promote a plant-based rather than animal-based lifestyle. For what it's worth, they seem to make the real world and the Pokémon world that much more livable.

One year ago: Expecting the Cards

Two years ago: PokéMusicians

Three years ago: Wallpaper: Ash XY Tribute Style